Construction apparatus



Mm'dl 1966 c. E. CHRISTMAN ETAL 3,

CONSTRUCTION APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORSCARL E. CHRISTMAN 8 BY THOMAS S. FERGUSON ATTORNEYS March 1966 c. E.CHRISTMAN ETAL 3,

CONSTRUCTION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1963 3 m I!) 1 I02 INVENTORS CARL E. CHRISTMAN a g o THOMAS s. FERGUSON l\ .m kg; 4 a ge m 00 I :0 g :9 T A o NEYS March 1966 c. E. CHRISTMAN ETAL 3,

CONSTRUCTION APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORSCARL E. CHRISTMAN a BY THOMAS s. FERGUSON ATTORNEYS March 1965 c. E.CHRISTMAN ETAL 3,

CONSTRUCTION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 28, 1963 FIG-8 93INVENTORS 94 CARL E. CHRISTMAN a BY THOMAS S. FERGUSON WMM /W ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent 3,243,177 CONSTRUCTION APPARATUS Carl E. Christmanand Thomas S. Ferguson, Piqua, Ohio, assignors to Inland HomesCorporation, Piqua, Ohio, I a corporation of Ohio Filed June 28, 1963,Ser. No. 291,461 r1 Claims. (Cl. 269-26) This invention relates toapparatus for making prefabricated homes, and particularly to apparatusfor construction of roof trusses and the like.

In the design of a prefabricated home, the roof is generally supportedby a plurality of parallel truss-ed rafters which are supported at theiropposite ends on the upper portions of the'exterior side walls. Thesetrusses bear the entire weight of the roof and any loading thereof, suchas a heavy layer of snow, and consequently they are scientificallydesigned to obtain maximum strength from the building materials used, aswell as to meet the requirements of various governmental and privatespecifications. A widely used type of truss includes a plurality of twoby four wooden members secured together by metal gusset plates'havingclusters of triangular teeth extending perpendicularly therefrom andwhich are imbedded in the wooden member on the opposite sides of eachjoint. i

Thernass production of these trusses is normally slow and quitedifiicult because the components thereof tend to be separated andmisaligned before and during the fastening of the gusset plates, andbecause the truss must be turned completely over before the plates canbe secured to the other side thereof. During this turning or reversingoperation, and due to the size and weight involved, the truss istwisted, and sometimes the component parts of the truss assembly arecompletely separated.

Accordingly, an important object of this invention is to' provideapparatus for manufacturing prefabricated trussed rafters and the likefor homes and other buildingsfand further to provide apparatus whichwill sub stantially increase the rate of production while decreasing thecost and labor required.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of theaforesaid type which will securely align and position the variouscomponents of a trussed rafter without requiring more than minimumpersonal attention, and further to provide apparatus of the typedescribed above which permits the gusset plates to be secured with easeand speed to both sides of the trussed rafters without requiring manuallifting or movement thereof.

A' further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for makingprefabricated components for use in the building of homes and the likewhich is readily adjustable so that different configurations of trussassemblies and th elike can be formed thereon, and further to provide 7apparatus of the aforesaid type which is simple in design and dependablein operation for minimum post and maximum usefulness.

Additional objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription, the accompanying drawing s and the appended claims,

In the drawings FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatus in accordance withthe invention having a truss assembly shown thereon in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a typical gusset plateutilized in the construction of the truss assembly;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of one end of the apparatus showing a trussassembly having an extended top chord;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one-half of the machine showing atruss assembly thereon;

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FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the apparatus in itsalternate position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of one end of the apparatus showing anothertype of truss assembly thereon;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken essentially along the line 7-7 of FIG.8; and

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of the actuator mechanism taken along theView line 8-8 of FIG, 7,

Referring to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated, FIG. 1 shows a plan of the apparatus inaccordance with the invention and having a typical truss assemblyillustrated thereon in broken lines. The truss assembly 10 includes abottom chord 11, the sloping top chords 12 and 13, the king and queenposts 15 and 16, respectively, and a pair of diagonal braces 18, allpreferably constructed of wood having the same cross-section size, e.g.conventional two by fours. The components of the truss assembly aresecurely fastened together by the gusset plate (FIG. 2) having aplurality of teeth clusters 21, as will be described. One of theimportant features of the invention is the capability of the apparatusto make other sizes and configurations of truss assemblies, although theapparatus is initially described in connection with the production of aparticular type of truss assembly.

The apparatus includes six vertical support posts 22 rigidly secured tothe floor F (FIG. 8) of the shop or the like, and each having a bearingblock 23 secured on the top surface thereof. The axes of these bearingblocks are horizontal and coaxial for receiving the rigid pivot shaft orrod 25 which extends from one endof the apparatus to the other. Rigidlysecured to this shaft midway between its ends is a central support 27which includes two parallel tubular members 28 and 29 rigidly secured tothe shaft by welding, and are interconnected by the parallel crossmembers 31 and '32 (FIG. 4) secured near the other end thereof. Themembers 31 and 32 support the guide strips 33 in precise position foralignment of the king post 15, as will be further explained.

The ends 34 of the members 28 and 29 are open so that the end assembly35 is adjustably secured in place by sliding the rods or tubes 37 intothe hollow tubular members 28 and 29. The pins 38 extend through any oneof a series of holes 40 in the members 28 and 29, and through a suitableopening in the tubes 37 to secure this end assembly in any of severaldesired positions. Secured between the opposite ends of the tubes 37 arethe parallel cross plates 42 which support the air motor 43 thereon. Themotor 43 has a V-shaped bracket 44 on the end of its piston rod 45 forengaging the apex of the top chords 12 and 13 of the truss assembly, asseen in FIG. 4.

The intermediate supports 47 are positioned midway between the centralsupport 27 and the end of the apparatus, and are substantially similarto the central supports 27. Thus each of these assemblies includes apair of tubular members 48 and 49 rigidly secured to the shaft 25 withthe cross members 51 supporting the four guide strips 53 which positionthe queen post 16 of the truss assembly in either two position-s. Thetubes 54 slide into and out of the tubular members 48 and 49, and aresecured in position by the lock pins 55 which are substantiallyidentical in design and operation to the lock pins 38, as describedabove.

The essential difference between the supports 27 and 47, is that themembers 48-49 and the tubes 54 of the intermediate supports 47 areshorter than the corresponding components of the central support 27 sothat the air motors 57 on the cross members 58 are spaced closer to theshaft 25. The motors 57 are also disposed at an angle to the crossmember 58 so that'the piston rod 59 is perpendicular to the adjacent topchord 12 or 13 so that pressure is applied perpendicularly thereto. Thesupports 27 and 47 are disposed in substantially the same plane and tiedtogether with the elongated tubular member or guide bar which extendsparallel to the shaft 25, and is welded or otherwise rigidly secured toeach of the tubular members 28, 29, 48, and 49 for the purpose ofpositioning the bottom chord 11.

The tubular member 69 has the center thereof spaced slightly fartherfrom the shaft 25 than the ends thereof so that the bottom chord 11 issimilarly shaped with a camber or crown therein. This camber compensatesfor the distortion of the truss assembly when supporting a roof in sucha manner that the bottom chord becomes essentially straight and theloads on the supporting walls are substantially vertical and withouthorizontal components. The alignment plates 62 are placed on each of therods 37 and 54 below the top chords 12 and 13 so that the latter arelocated precisely in the same plane as the bottom chord 11.

An end support 64 is provided at each end of the apparatus and includesa main bar 65 which telescopes into the tubular member 60 and is heldtherein in any one of a plurality of positions by the pin 66 (FIG. 1)which cooperates with a suitable aperture in the member 60 and holes 68in the main bar 65. A shoe 70 for receiving and holding a heel block 71(FIG. 6) is welded to the end of the rod 65, and the arm 72 rigidlyconnects the shoe 70 to the hollow tube 73 which is received in slidingengagement on the end of the shaft 25. The end support 64 is thuscapable of reciprocation on the apparatus while being held againstrelative angular movement by the tube 73.

On the other end of one arm 72 is secured two parallel brackets 75having mounted thereon an air motor 77 with its piston rod 78 disposedperpendicular to the end portions of the adjacent top chord 12 or 13.The shoe 70 has side and -bottom walls 80 and 81, respectively,extending between the ends 83 thereof to form a pocket for the heelblock 71, as will be described, and the side walls 80 have the cut outopenings 85 therein so that the gusset plates 20 can be easily locatedand secured to each side of the truss assembly.

It should be apparent that each of the central, intermediate, and chordsupports 27', 47, and 64 are secured to the shaft 25 so that rotationthereof will effect simultaneous rotation for turning the truss assemblythrough 180 so that the gusset plates 20 may be secured to the otherside thereof. The turning operation from the initial position, shown inFIGURES 1 and 4, to the alternate position, shown in FIG. 5, is effectedby two air actuator assemblies 90. Each of these assemblies includesfour vertical support legs 22 and 91 (FIGS. 7 and 8) secured to thefloor F by the bolts 93 extending through the plates 94. The crosssupports 95 are mounted on the upper portion of the legs 22 and 91, andthe inverted channel-s 97 secured on these cross supports 95 provide asupport surface for the actuating mechanism. Thus the electricallyoperated air motor 100 and four hydraulic door check or hydrauliccushioning devices 101 (FIG. 5) are mounted horizontally and parallel tothe motor 100, and each has its piston rods 103 and 104, respectively,rigidly secured to the V-shaped yoke 105 which is supported forreciprocation by the bearing plates 106 secured on the channels 97.

An I-beam 108 extends horizontally from a rigid connection with theleft-hand cross member 95, as shown in FIG. '7, and a guide channel 110is secured thereto for guiding reciprocation of the vertical ram 111which is secured by the bolts 112 to the yoke 105. A rack 113 is securedon the top edge of this ram 111 for engagement with a pinion 115 rigidlysecured to the shaft 25 so that reciprocation of the yoke 105 and ram111 effects rotation of the shaft 25. The air motor 100 effects suchreciprocation and the cushioning devices 101 provide a cushion for theterminal movement of the supports 27, 47, and 64 so that they do notslam into position.

In operation, the supports 27, 47, and 64 are first positioned as shownin solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 4 in the initial or starting position withthe central support resting on a support table or its equivalent, andthe arms 122 on the upper portion of the legs 91 supporting the members28, 29, and 54. The various components of the truss assembly arepositioned thereon by placing the bottom chords 11 adjacent thealignment tube 60 with the ends thereof abutted. The top chords 12 and13 are then placed in position with the uppermost ends thereof inalignment with a V-shaped bracket 44 of the motor 43, and theintermediate and lower portions in close alignment with the cylinders 57and 77. The king and queen posts 15 and 16 are then placed between thealignment strips 33 and 53 between the top and bottom chords, andsubsequently the braces 18 are placed in position. actuated so thattheir piston rods securely and simultaneously clamp the entire trussassembly against the alignment member 60 with the abutting surface ofthe various components tightly held together.

These air motors are preferably electrically operated through a lowvoltage electric system which, through the operation of a singlecontrol, supplies current to the solenoid operated valve of each airmotor. Thus the motors simultaneously engage the top chords 12 and 13thereby obviating possible misalignment between the components of thetruss assembly, as might result if the air motors were energized one ata time.

While in this clamped position, the gusset plates 20 are secured on oneside of the joints of each of the wooden components by driving nailsthrough the plates 20, us-

ually with an air operated nailer. The projections 21 on these platesare not forced into the wood but the plates are merely secured in placewith projections in contact with the surfaces of the wooden members.After each of the plates 20 has been secured in place, the actuatingmechanism is energized to rotate the apparatus and the truss assembly 10to its alternate position. Thus the air motors 100 withdraw theirrespective piston rods 103 into the cylinders to move the racks 113 tothe right, as shown in FIG. 7. This movement rotates the pinions 115 andthe shaft 25, and consequently the supports 27, 47, and 64, through 180to the alternate position wherein they are supported in a horizontalposition by the support table 123 and the roller assemblies 125.

In this alternate position, the opposite side of each of the joints inthe truss assembly 10 can be easily reached from above so that thegusset plates 20 can be secured thereto in substantially the same manneras they were secured to the other side of the assembly 10. Specifically,the central support 27 and the intermediate supports 47 having openingsbetween the members 28, 29, 48 and 49, and the rods 37 and 54, so thatthe operators can gain access to each of the joints between the chords11, 12 and 13, the posts 15 and 16, and the braces 18. Similarly, theend supports 64 permit access to the juncture of the top and bottomchords so that the plates 20 can be secured thereto.

When all of the plates have been secured to the truss in assembly 10,the air motors 43, 57, and 77 are evacuated by pressing a low voltagemomentary contact switch which energizes the solenoid operated valves ofthe air motors, thus releasing the truss assembly from the apparatuscausing the bottom chord 11 to be supported on the roller assemblies 125and the apex of the top chords on the support table 123. Subsequently,the actuating mechanism is reversed to return the supports 27, 47, and64 to the initial position thus leaving the semi-finished truss assemblyon the roller assemblies and the table. The next step is to feed thetruss assembly into the nip of two pressure rollers which embeds thegusset plates 20 and nails The air motors 43, 57, and 77 are then in theWooden members thus completing the construction of the truss assembly.This latter step is conventional and does not form part of thisinvention.

Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment of a truss assembly a is shownas being constructed on the apparatus described above. This trussassembly has an overhanging portion 13a of the top chords 12 and 13 heldin position by abutting the adjustable stop 130 on the arm 131 securedto the shoe 70. The ends of the bottom chord 11 rest on the plates 133and the chords 12 and 13 are held together by the air motor which has anextension 134 added to its piston rod 78. The gusset plates 20 can besecured to each side thereof since the structure in no way obstructs thepositioning or securing of the plates 20.

FIG. 6 illustrates another truss assembly 10b configuration which can bemade on the apparatus including a. heel block 71 which is secured belowthe end of the top chord 13 and adjacent the end of the bottom chord 11.The heel block 71 fits into the shoe 70, which holds it in position, andthe chords 11 and 13 are forced together by the air motor while thegusset plates are attached. The cut out portion 85 in the side walls 84of the shoe 70 permits the plate 20a to be easily aligned and secured tothe truss assembly. While only one of the ends of the truss assemblies10:: and 10b has been shown and described, it should be understood thatthe other end of each assembly is identical.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 can be easily adjusted so that trussassemblies of different sizes and configurations can be formed thereon.By increasing or decreasing the length of the central and intermediatesupports 27 and 47, and by adding adapters to vary the length of thepiston rods of the air motors 43, 57 and 77, a truss assembly havingdilferent heights and slopes can be constructed. Similarly, by slidingthe end supports 64 inwardly or outwardly of the apparatus, a trussassembly which has a proportionately shorter or longer bottom chord isformed. The exact arrangement of the intern-a1 members of the trussassembly, that is, the posts 15 and 16 and the braces 18, can be variedwithin the scope of the invention, so that the apparatus provides amaximum flexibility in the construction of truss assemblies.

The invention has thus provided a machine which greatly increases therate of production since the operators must only place the woodencomponents in position and then secure the gusset plates 20 thereto. Theclamping of the components together and the turning over of the trussassembly is done quickly and automatically without the fear that thecomponent will become misaligned or separated, as would be the case ifthese operations were accomplished manually. The invention furthermoreinsures that the various components will be precisely aligned with thejoints thereof flush so that a resulting structure of consistentlyhigher quality than heretofore known is produced.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention whichis defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss for use in a buildingcomprising; an elongated horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on astationary frame; a central support including, a first pair of parallelhorizontal members rigidly secured to and extending radially from saidshaft, 21 first end member on said first pair of parallel members whichcan be adjusted with respect to said shaft; a pair of intermediatesupports each rigidly secured to said shaft and having a second pair ofparallel members lying in the same plane as said first pair of parallelmembers, a second end member adjustably secured on said second pair ofmembers for movement toward and away from said shaft, said intermediatesupports being disposed between the ends of said shaft and said centralsupport; an elongated alignment bar secured to one side of said parallelmembers and extending parallel to and closely spaced from said shaft forproviding a support for the bottom chord of the truss; end supportsadjustably secured to each end of said shaft and said bar forpositioning the end of the bottom and top chords together; air motorclamps on said end members of said central and intermediate supports andon said end supports for clamping the components of the truss inposition to be secured together; means for rotating said shaft throughto reverse said supports and permit securing of fastening means to theother side of the truss; and means to release said air motor clamps; .7f

2. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including bottomandjtop chords and intermediate braces comprising, an elongatedhorizontal shaft rotatably mounted on a stationary frame, a centralsupport rigidly se= cured to and extending radially from said shaft, apair".

of intermediate supports each rigidly secured to said shaft and lying inthe same plane as said central support, said together, means forrotating said shaft to reverse said supports and permit securing offastening means to the and means to release said other side of the trussassembly, air motor clamps.

3. Apparatus for use in constructing a triangular truss assembly havinga bottom and top chord 'with internal braces comprising, an elongatedshaft rota-tably mounted on a stationary frame and spaced from the Homeprede- I termined distance, a central support rigidly secured .to

and extending radially from said shaft, a pair of inter= mediatesupports each rigidly secured to said shaft and lying in the same planeas said central support, said inte'rmediate supports being disposedbetween the ends of said shaft and said central support, an elongatedalignment bar secured to one side of said supports and extendingparallel to said shaft, said bar and said supports cooperating toprovide a support for the bottom chord, an end support adjustablysecure-d to each end of said bar for aligning the ends of the bottom andtop chords, automatic clamp means on said supports for engaging theupper surface of the top chords to lock the entire truss assemblybetween said clamp means and said alignment bar. means for rotating saidshaft to reverse said supports and permit securing of fastening means tothe other side of the trussassembly, said supports having openingstherein for permitting the fastening means to be attached from bothsides thereof, and means to release said clamp means.

4. Apparatus for use in constructing a triangular truss assembly havingbottom and top chords with internal braces therebetween comprising,- anelongated shaft rotatably mounted on a stationary frame, a centralsupport rigidly secured to and extending radially from said shaft, anend member on said central support which can be adjusted toward and awayfrom said shaft to vary the size of truss assembly which can beconstructed thereon,

a pair of intermediate supports each rigidly secured to said shaft andlying in the same plane as said central support, said intermediatesupports being disposed be tween the ends of said shaft and said centralsupport, an elongated alignment bar secured to one side of said supportsand extending parallel to said shaft for cooperation with said supportsand providing a support for one side and the lower surface of the bottomchord, an end support adjustably secured to each end of said shaft andsaid bar for aligning the ends of the bottom and top chords, automaticclamp means on said end members of said supports for engaging the uppersurface of the top chords to lock the entire truss assembly between saidclamp'means and said alignment bar, actuator means for rotating saidshaft to reverse said support and permit securing of fastening means tothe other side of the truss assembly, said supports having openingsthereon for permitting the fastening means to be attached from bothsides of said supports, said actuator means including a motor and a rackreciprocating thereby, a pinion on said shaft engaging said rack forrotation of said shaft in response to reciprocation of said rack, andmeans for cushioning the terminal movements of said shaft and supports.

5. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including a topchord which overhangs a bottom chord and intermediate braces comprising;an elongated horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on a stationary frame, acentral support rigidly secured to and extending radially from saidshaft, a pair of intermediate supports each rigidly secured to saidshaft and lying in the same plane as said central support, saidintermediate supports being disposed between the ends of said shaft andsaid central support, an elongated alignment bar secured to one side ofsaid supports and extending parallel to and closely spaced from saidshaft to provide a support for the bottom chord, an end support securedto each end of the adjacent side of said shaft and said bar for aligningthe ends of the bottom and top chords, an adjustable stop on said endsupport for receiving the overhanging portion of the top chord toprevent longitudinal movement thereof, and clamp means on said supportsfor clamping the components of the truss assembly in position to besecured together, means for rotating said shaft to reverse said supportmembers and permit securing of fastening means to the other side of thetruss assembly, and means to release said clamp means.

6. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including bottomand top chords having a heel block secured at the juncture thereofcomprising; an elongated horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on astationary frame, a central support rigidly secured to and extendingradially from said shaft, an end member on said central support I whichcan be adjusted toward and away from said shaft, a pair of intermediatesupports each rigidly secured to said shaft and lying in the same planeas said central support, said intermediate supports being disposedbetween the ends of said shaft and said central support, an elongatedalignment bar secured to one side of said supports and extendingparallel to and closely spaced from said shaft to provide a support forthe bottom chord, an end support adjustably secured to each end of saidshaft and said bar for aligning the ends of the bottom and top chords,said end supports having a shoe member thereon for receiving andpositioning the heel block in alignment with the top and bottom chords,and clamp means on said supports for clamping the components of thetruss assembly in position to be secured together, means for rotatingsaid shaft to" reverse said support members and permit securing offastening means to the other side of the truss assembly, and means torelease said clamp means.

7. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including bottomand top chords and intermediate braces comprising, an elongatedhorizontal shaft rotatably mounted on a stationary frame, a horizontalcentral support rigidly secured to and extending radially from saidshaft, an end member on said central support which can be adjustedtoward and away from said shaft, a pair of intermediate supports eachrigidly secured to said shaft and lying in the same plane as saidcentral support, said intermediate supports being disposed between theends of said shaft and said central s pport, an elongated alignment barsecured to one side of said supports and extending parallel to andclosely spaced from said shaft to provide a support for the bottomchord, a pair of end supports adjustably secured on the ends of saidshaft and said bar for aligning the ends of the bottom and top chords,alignment means on said supports for positioning the components of thetruss assembly with respect to each other, clamp means on said supportsfor clamping the components of the truss assembly in position, means forrotating said shaft to reverse said supports and permit securing offastening means to the other side of the truss assembly, and means torelease said air motor clamps.

8. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including bottomand top chords and intermediate braces comprising, an elongatedhorizontal shaft rotatably iounted on a stationan frame, a centralsupport rigidly secured to and extending radially from said shaft, afirst end member on said central support which can be adjusted towardand away from said shaft, a pair of intermediate supports each rigidlysecured to said shaft and lying in the same plane as said centralsupport, a second end member on each of said intermediate supports formovement toward and away from said shaft, said intermediate supportsbeing disposed between the ends of said shaft and said central support,an elongated alignment bar secured to one side of said supports andextending parallel to and closely spaced from said shaft to provide asupport for the bottom chord, an end support adjustably secured to eachend of said shaft and said bar for aligning the ends of the bottom andtop chords, and releasable clamp means on said end members of saidcentral and intermediate supports and on said end supports for clampingthe components of the truss assembly in position to be secured together,actuator means for rotating said shaft to reverse said supports andpermit securing of fastening means to the other side of the trussassembly including a pinion secured to said shaft, a reciprocal rack inoperative engagement with said pinion for effecting rotation of saidshaft in response to reciprocation of said rack, and motor means forreciprocating said rack and cushioning the terminal movements thereof.

9. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including bottomand top chords and intermediate braces comprising, pivot means rotatablymounted on a stationary frame, central support means rigidly secured toand extending radially from said pivot means, intermediate support meanseach rigidly secured to said pivot means and lying in the same plane assaid central support means, said intermediate support means beingdisposed between the ends of said shaft and said central support means,an elongated alignment bar secured to one side of said central andintermediate support means and extending parallel to and closely spacedfrom said pivot means to provide a support for the bottom chord, endsupport means adjustably secured on each end of said alignment bar foraligning the ends of the bottom and top chords, and adjustable clampmeans on each of said support means for clamping the components of thetruss assembly in position to be secured together, and means forrotating said pivot means to reverse said support means and permitsecuring of fastening means to the other side of the truss assembly.

16. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including bottomand top chords and intermediate braces comprising, pivot means rotatablymounted on a stationary frame, central support means rigidly secured toand extending radially from said pivot means, intermediate support meanseach rigidly secured to said pivot means and lying in the same plane assaid central support means, said intermediate support means beingdisposed betwcen the ends of said shaft and said central support means,an elongated alignment bar secured to one side of said central andintermediate support means and extending generally parallel to andclosely spaced from I comprising,

rsaid pivot means to provide a support for the bottom 'chord, saidalignment bar having a crown therein for creating a bottom chord havinga center portion which is spaced slightly above the ends thereof so thatthe bottom chord will be straightened by loading of the truss assembly,end support means adjustably secured on each end of said alignment barfor aligning the ends of the bottom and top chords, and adjustable clampmeans on each of said support means for clamping the components of thetruss assembly in position to be secured together, and means forrotating said pivot means to reverse said support means and permitsecuring of fastening means to the other side of the truss assembly.

11. Apparatus for use in constructing a truss assembly including bottomand top chords and intermediate braces an elongated horizontal shaftrotatably mounted on a stationary frame, a central support rigidlysecured to and extending radially from said shaft, a pair ofintermediate supports each rigidly secured to said shaft and lying inthe same plane as said central support, said intermediate supports beingdisposed between the ends of said shaft and said central support, anelongated alignment bar secured to one side of said supports andextending parallel to and closely spaced from said shaft to provide asupport for the bottom chord, an end support adjustably secured to eachend of said shaft and said bar for aligning the ends of the bottom andtop chords, and air motor clamp means on said supports for clamping thecomponents of the truss assembly in position to be secured together,means for rotating said shaft to reverse said supports and permitsecuring of fastening means to the other side of the truss assembly, andcontrol means for simultaneously actuating or deactivating said airmotor clamps,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,983,292 5/1961McKinley 144-288.6 3,030,988 4/ 1962 Patterson 144-288 3,084,929 4/ 1963Danielsen 269-58 3, 109,640 11/ 1963 Schneckloth 269-7 3 ROBERT C.RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

B. S. MOWRY, Assistant Examiner.

11. APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONSTRUCTING A TRUSS ASSEMBLY INCLUDING BOTTOMAND TOP CHORDS AND INTERMEDIATE BRACES COMPRISING, AN ELONGATEDHORIZONTAL SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON A STATIONARY FRAME, A CENTRALSUPPORT RIGIDLY SECURED TO AND EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID SHAFT, APAIR OF INTERMEDIATE SUPPORTS EACH RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID SHAFT ANDLYING IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID CENTRAL SUPPORT, SAID INTERMEDIATESUPPORTS BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID CENTRALSUPPORT, AN ELONGATED ALIGNMENT BAR SECURED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID SUPPORTSAND EXTENDING PARALLEL TO AND CLOSELY SPACED FROM SAID SHAFT TO PROVIDEA SUPPORT FOR THE BOTTOM CHORD, AN END SUPPORT ADJUSTABLY SECURED TOEACH END OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID BAR FOR ALIGNING THE ENDS OF THE BOTTOMAND TOP CHORDS, AND AIR MOTOR CLAMP MEANS ON SAID SUPPORTS FOR CLAMPINGTHE COMPONENTS OF THE TRUSS ASSEMBLY IN POSITION TO BE SECURED TOGETHER,MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT TO REVERSE SAID SUPPORTS AND PERMITSECURING OF FASTENING MEANS TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRUSS ASSEMBLY, ANDCONTROL MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY ACTUATING OR DEACTIVATING SAID AIRMOTOR CLAMPS.